No Matter What
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you…just like you have always been there for me. And regardless of what may happen in the future, nothing will ever keep us apart." (Note: *May contain spoilers for "Hexley Hall"*)


No Matter What

Summary: "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you…just like you have always been there for me. And regardless of what may happen in the future, nothing will ever keep us apart."

Disclaimer: I do not own _Sofia the First_.

A/N: Well, guys…here it is… My last _Sofia the First_ (and story in general) story for a while. And because it will be some time before I get around to writing again, I wanted to make sure I finished the way I started: with a Cedric and Sofia friendship story. It will be emotional, it will be sweet, it will be what it needs to be…but mostly, it will be AquaTurquoise doing what she loves best: writing for these amazing characters. :) With that said, this isn't goodbye. It's "see you later" for now. I don't know when I'll return; it may be soon, or it may be a while. Who knows? I'll keep up with the show as usual and watch for further developments. As always, if you need me, message me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. That said, I hope you all enjoy, and thank you for two and a half years of reviews, recommendations, requests, honesty, loyalty, and even friendship. Enjoy!

Note (**Spoiler Alert for "Hexley Hall" episode**): I added in the ending after watching "Hexley Hall." I just _knew_ that was going to happen. I knew he wasn't quite over his quest. Oh, well. I'm still expecting a complete turn-around for him at some point. And as I discussed with a few others, maybe he _needs_ conflict with Sofia. Maybe this will give them both some insight. I hold out hope that Cedric will "see the light" in the end and ultimately become a completely good guy like he CAN be. And honestly, with all this stuff with Grimtrix the Good (more like _Greedy_ ), maybe he'll see himself reflected in the phony headmaster and have a change of heart. I don't know. We'll see. ;) Now that I've overanalyzed everything, please enjoy the story. Take care!

~AquaTurquoise

*Story*

It was pretty late at night one winter evening. Sofia was having trouble sleeping. Her head was filled with questions and concerns over things she knew she couldn't possibly control, yet the troublesome thoughts still lingered.

She glanced at her amulet, now the new shade of ruby pink rather than her familiar purple. When Princess Elena of Avalor had been released, it seemed many things had changed. Her now vacant but still powerful amulet felt different to her—somewhat lonely even. Of course, she'd had no inkling of the full truth of the amulet's tenant prior to recent events, but still… Her dress was new and two-toned, with varying shades of purple and even pink. She no longer wore her familiar purple dress she'd received upon arrival. Then again, she was no longer the same Sofia who had shyly and uncertainly entered those castle gates a few years ago either.

She was much stronger and more confident than ever. She had learned many historical facts about her new addition to her family, and she had become ingrained in the family atmosphere. Her magic skills had increased significantly, and she could usually handle her situations well.

But things had also changed in other areas…not necessarily for the worse, but rather for the uncertain. She disliked the unknown, because it was frightening. Who knew what would happen now? Would things go back to being the same, or would everything change? There were too many 'what if' scenarios, and she felt so insecure now. She'd even recently seen just how much control _she_ now had over the amulet, and to be completely honest, it frightened her a bit. Now that her family knew of her amulet's powers, would that change anything? What about those who'd pursued her amulet in the past? With the absence of Elena, did it even mean anything to them now?

And what about her relationships with her family, her friends, her…mentor? She paused when she recalled how things had become somewhat different between her and Cedric recently. It wasn't that he'd grown physically distant per se, because they still saw each other nearly every day. However, she couldn't read him as well as she used to. It's like he had a wall up or something, which took her back to the beginning when he'd found her a troublesome new princess who lacked the ability to say his name correctly. Even during their recent trip to Hexley Hall, she'd noticed that he had acted a bit differently.

Sighing at the thoughts plaguing her mind, Sofia knew now that sleep just wasn't coming to her at all. She needed to clear her head. Maybe a walk would help…

She slid from her bed to the cool floor and wrapped a purple robe around herself and eased her feet into some white slippers Amber had recently bought her. She smiled at the recollection of her sister running up to her and squealing that she'd just found 'THE cutest slippers in all of Enchancia.' Her words, not Sofia's.

Sofia slipped out her door and quietly roamed the empty and dark halls. Everyone had to be asleep at this hour…or at least mostly everyone. She deviated from the path of the hallway and entered the ballroom. It was quiet and somewhat cold. She shivered and tightened her robe in a vain attempt to become warmer. Changing her mind, she turned and left before exiting the castle altogether and walking outside.

The moon was full and high in the sky. The wind whispered by, gently caressing the branches of the trees. The leaves had long since fallen off with the bite of the winter chill in the air. Snow crunched underfoot as Sofia walked through the yard, direction somewhat aimless. She leaned up against the building and sighed as she picked up her amulet, observing it. "What do I do now?" she asked it softly. "Do I just continue like nothing has changed, or is _everything_ about to change?"

Of course, the amulet remained quiet. Sofia frowned. The strange pink color would take some getting used to… The last few years of her steady purple scheme had come to an abrupt end, and she still wasn't sure she was fully adjusted yet.

The cold air was starting to seep into her skin and make her shiver even more. Her eyes were growing heavy and her body was weary. She needed to get somewhere warm and safe…

"Sofia?"

Sofia looked up toward the tower behind her and was surprised to see Cedric leaning out of the window from his workshop. "H-Hi, Mr. Cedric," she said simply through her shivering state.

"Dear girl, what are you doing out there at this hour? And why aren't you properly dressed for this weather? You're going to catch ill!"

"I kn-know, Mr. Cedric. I was j-just taking a walk and th-thinking…"

Cedric frowned. Something wasn't right with his apprentice. It hadn't been since the whole Elena incident, and he was worried about her frame of mind. "Stay right there. Don't move." He vanished from the window.

Sofia yawned involuntarily and swayed slightly when the chilling wind swirled past her, stirring her loose hair and nightclothes. "S-So cold…" She began her attempt of walking once more to return to the castle, but she found that she was too tired and too cold to move. So she stood still until she began to feel weak. Before she knew what was happening, she began to fall.

"Sofia!" Cedric gasped as he caught the girl just in time, sparing her from facing the icy ground. He picked her up and wrapped her in a blanket he'd brought (thankfully) before hurrying back inside. While it wasn't much warmer in the castle, the environment was at least a bit more controlled and had a few extra commodities that the outside didn't.

He rushed to a common room and knelt before a fireplace that already contained wood. He removed his wand from his robe as he held Sofia in his free arm. " _Incendo_ ," he commanded, creating a roaring fire to illuminate and warm the empty room. With that chore attended, he turned his attention to his apprentice, who was still shaking but wasn't nearly as bad off. "Are you all right?"

Sofia nodded before moving closer to the fire and farther from her friend. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and stared into the blazing fire.

"Well, aren't you going to tell me why you were wandering around on your own at night…in the freezing snow?" Cedric hadn't meant to sound so sharp, but Sofia could have collapsed outside and frozen, especially so late at night when most people had been asleep…except him, of course. He couldn't sleep for a variety of reasons…

"I don't want to talk about it, Mr. Cedric." She'd said it so softly he almost hadn't heard her.

Almost.

Cedric frowned and moved beside her, returning his wand to his robe and folding his arms as he gave her a keen look. "I believe I'm at least owed an explanation. You could have gotten ill or hurt or _worse_ out there, Sofia, especially with no one around to even know you were there. Are you ill already? Are you worried about something?"

Sofia paused and tensed up at his second question, which she determined he'd seen based on his shift in demeanor. "I…" She could talk to him, right? He _was_ her mentor and closest friend, after all. They'd been through a lot together over the last few years, and she did suppose she owed him at least an explanation for worrying him… "I'm scared, Mr. Cedric."

The sorcerer's cross look changed into one of concern for the young girl beside him. He realized now that she did seem rather down in comparison to her usual demeanor. He sighed and reclined against the front of a nearby armchair so that he could see her better. "And what on earth have you to be scared of, Sofia?"

She looked at him then, uncertainty etched into her face. " _Everything_." She gestured generally. "Everything is changing, Mr. Cedric. With Princess Elena gone from my amulet, it's just a normal piece of jewelry that happens to have magical powers."

He raised an eyebrow at her statement. "Most would find any magical item unique and grand."

"Of course it still is… I mean, Dad gave it to me, so it's meaningful… And the fact that my Aunt Tilly and others wore it before means a lot. But still, it's like a part of me is missing…"

Cedric nodded, following along with her reasoning. He could understand why she would feel a bit lost. In a way, the other princess had been guiding her the last few years, teaching her the difference between right and wrong and encouraging her in her own manner. Without her presence, things obviously wouldn't be the same. Still… "Princess Elena was freed thanks to you, Sofia. She is home now with her family after all that time. I realize it's hard for you, but still, imagine how relieved she must have felt to finally be reunited with people she cared about." He gave her a soft smile, which she returned. "No other princess I know could have done such a wonderful thing for someone. It's truly noble and selfless, and I for one am quite proud of you."

Sofia nodded with her smile growing a bit. "Thanks, Mr. Cedric." She rubbed her arms, feeling the cold chill fading and being replaced with the warmth of the flames. "I just don't do well with a lot of change I guess. Moving here a few years ago was a big change for me, but it's definitely been worth it. It just took a long time for me to be really comfortable." She sighed and traced the patterns on the rug beneath them. "Now there are just so many changes at once: Elena is gone, the amulet is pink, I'm changing myself… I just don't want…anything else to change." She glanced up at her friend. "Like us… I don't want our friendship to change, Mr. Cedric."

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that what this is all about? You're worried about the future…?" Seeing her nod, he hesitated just a bit and then smiled and patted the area next to him. When she crawled over and rested against him, he was a little surprised at first but relaxed and draped one arm around her for comfort. "Sofia, I want you to listen to me, all right?"

"All right, Mr. Cedric…"

"Yes, things are changing. In life, nothing ever really stays the same. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, change is for the better. You're growing up; you're making decisions for yourself and making your way in life." He felt her playing absently with his gloved hand as she listened. "But… I promise you this." Seeing he had her attention, he continued gently, "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you…just like you have always been there for me. And regardless of what may happen in the future, nothing will ever keep us apart."

Sofia ceased her actions and looked up at her friend with a few tears brimming in her eyes. "Do you mean that, Mr. Cedric?"

Cedric was surprised to see that his student was beginning to cry, but he used his free hand to gingerly wipe the tears away. Then he gently cupped her chin and gave her a comforting smile. "I absolutely do, Sofia. I'm here if you need me, and nothing will change that."

She giggled and edged forward, hugging him and sighing happily. "You are _so_ different from the Mr. Cedric I met when I first got here."

He sighed dramatically, making her laugh again. "That's because you were _so_ persistent in getting to know me. I'm afraid you've eased your way into my life, and now there's no turning back, Princess."

Sofia smiled brightly as she leaned back and wiped away the rest of her tears. "I wouldn't have it any other way." She yawned sleepily and leaned against him again, picking up his hand and continuing her previous action of observing his gloved hand.

Watching her actions gave Cedric an idea. While she was preoccupied, he pulled out his wand and murmured something softly, tapped each of her hands, and nodded in satisfaction.

The princess was surprised to find purple fingerless gloves on each of her hands, very similar to her mentor's. The only difference, besides the color obviously, was that on each wrist rested small purple and pink gems that reminded her of her amulet. She beamed up at him. "Are these for me?"

"Hmm, well, I'd considered giving a pair to Baileywick, but he'd just give me 'the look' and not speak to me." He smirked when she laughed. "Although, I can't say that would be altogether unpleasant…" He knew she understood he was joking, so he nodded. "Yes, they are yours. If you're going to pursue magic further, you're going to need some protection and distinguishing attributes. Your sister now has her telescope and stargazing, and your brother…" He paused, making a peculiar face. "Well, let us hope he is careful with those cannons of his…"

Sofia nodded and giggled. "Thank you, Mr. Cedric. I'll cherish them and wear them for our magic lessons!" She lifted his hand and pressed hers against his, smiling. "No matter what, we'll always be friends?"

He chuckled and used his other hand to cover hers. "No matter what, Sofia. Nothing will change that."

A little while later, after seeing his apprentice off to bed, Cedric stood in her doorway for just a few minutes, watching the girl sleep. He was baffled as to why Sofia had suddenly had such an emotional revelation. Maybe she suspected…? No, there was no way. And perhaps he should feel guilty for his plans, and on some level he did since it was definitely betrayal of her trust, but still, he had a mission. He'd made a promise to himself and to Wormwood. _And to Sofia_ , came that nagging inner voice.

He sighed. It seemed he was always going to be in a constant battle with himself as to what was the best thing to do. That inner part of himself that wanted so badly to have recognition and respect always came back around, no matter how he tried to suppress it. How could he get what he wanted without hurting the one who cared about him the most? _You can't… Nothing is ever that simple._ He frowned at the very real dilemma he was sure to face. _You're going to have to make a decision. Regardless, someone is going to be disappointed and hurt…_ He just wished he didn't have to exact that sort of reality on the princess. She didn't deserve it. He'd even gifted her with those gloves earlier, which further earned her trust. He felt a small pang of guilt. What had possessed him to do such a thing? It was probably going to make things even harder.

His eyes fell upon the amulet and he sighed in frustration. "I know what I want…but everything always seems to come at a price," he whispered to himself. He closed his eyes. "I meant what I said, Sofia… No matter what happens, you're still the closest thing to a real friend I've ever had. Don't ever doubt that. I just…" He trailed off, feeling it better that he left his rambling silent for now. He knew what he ultimately had to do, and it was likely going to cause some discord between them, but he had to move forward.

"I'm sorry, Sofia…" He left and shut the door behind him, leaving the unaware sleeping princess in a peaceful dream-filled state.

The end… (For now)


End file.
